HC Deb 24 March 1953 vol 513 cc652-4

The following Question stood upon the Order Paper:

79. Mrs. BRADDOCK: TO ask the Secretary of State for War, if he has now investigated the grievances made by men of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, serving in Kenya, as set out in a letter sent to him by the honourable Member for the Exchange Division of Liverpool on 13th March; and what action he intends to take.

The Secretary of State for War (Mr. Antony Head)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I should like to answer Question No. 79.

I have now had a full report from Kenya which shows that the allegations made in the letter sent to the hon. Lady were inaccurate, misleading and unjustified by the facts.

The Lancashire Fusiliers have been carrying out duties which have called for dispersion into very small detachments. This type of work demands the highest level of discipline to ensure that exemplary standards are shown by all men in dealing with the African population. The commanding officer found that a few men, mostly with bad records, had not maintained the high standards demanded.

He therefore decided to bring them to battalion headquarters where they would be under closer supervision. They would not go on patrol but would carry out military training. In the event, the names of only four men were put forward as being unsatisfactory. In view of such a small number it was decided, before the hon. Lady ever raised this matter, to abandon the project.

I am writing to the hon. Lady fully about details but I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my regret that, at a time when the Army is carrying out so many difficult duties with restraint and good sense, the hon. Lady should have given such wide publicity to this very misleading account without allowing myself or my Department time for investigation.

Mrs. Braddock

While thanking the Minister for his reply, I should like to ask him whether the statement he has made is the result of the statement issued by Colonel Rimbault, who issued his statement to the Press before it was issued to the War Office?

Secondly, in view of the very great similarity between the statements made in the letter from the men and the information which the Minister has now given, does not he think that it is time for a court of inquiry to be set up to inquire into the whole of the circumstances, as this matter has raised very great concern throughout the country?

Finally, may I ask him whether he is not aware that we are still living in a free country, and that when allegations are made in a letter bearing the signatures of a number of serving men it is in the interests of the public that the facts set out in the letter, whether they are correct or incorrect, should be investigated in order that the matter may be put on a proper footing?

Mr. Head

The hon. Lady initiated this matter by writing to the War Office, and the signal sent to Kenya was based on that letter. I am convinced that when this statement was made the authorities in Kenya were unaware that the hon. Lady had put down a Question. I think they were, therefore, entitled to make this statement, especially in view of the concern which was caused locally.

Secondly, I think that the whole of my answer disproves entirely the allegations of these 12 men, because at least eight of them never had anything to do with this matter. Only four men were nominated and the project was then abandoned. The particular events, such as the route march and overcrowding in the tents, never occurred, because the project was never realised.

Lastly, I agree with the hon. Lady that it is absolutely right to insist that matters such as these are taken up immediately by my Department. That is quite right and proper. But I suggest that, when so many wild allegations are made, and are voiced in the House without anybody verifying them, it is impossible for anybody to catch up with the story once it has been published, however false it may be.

Mrs. Braddock

I did ask the Minister whether, in view of the very disquieting comments that have been made, and the fact that the statement made by the colonel actually gives the correct position in relation to this platoon—in which they had no right to be under Army Council Regulations—there should be a public inquiry into this matter. I shall not let the matter drop unless the Minister is prepared to take some steps in that direction.

Mr. Head

I have already told the hon. Lady that the allegations made in this letter are not correct. Furthermore, if an Army officer found a number of men behaving in an unseemly way to the native population, he would be perfectly entitled and militarily correct to withdraw them to battalion headquarters to avoid a recurrence of such incidents.

Several Hon. Members rose—

Mr. Speaker

We cannot debate this matter now.